One Is Enough for Dodgers

The flu bug that has permeated the Dodger clubhouse this summer had nothing on Kevin Brown and Bruce Chen on Saturday night.

Brown, the Dodger starter, and Chen, the Philadelphia Phillie starter, made batters look positively sick during the Dodgers’ 1-0, 10-inning win in front of 37,244 at Dodger Stadium.

How dominant were the starters? At different points in the game, Brown had recorded seven consecutive outs by strikeout and Chen had retired 13 Dodgers in a row.

Brown worked hard, throwing 121 pitches in seven innings, but he didn’t walk anyone.

Chen, meanwhile, held the meat of the Dodger lineup--Gary Sheffield, Eric Karros and Shawn Green--to a combined 0 for 11 with a walk.

Chen went 8 2/3 innings, giving up four hits while equaling a career-high eight strikeouts and walking one.

But neither starter was involved when the game ended.

That’s when Dodger leadoff batter Tom Goodwin singled up the middle off Philadelphia reliever Vicente Padilla on a first-pitch offering to score Jeff Branson and end the game. It was Goodwin’s third hit of the game.

Dodger reliever Matt Herges (9-3) picked up the win in relief while Padilla (3-4) took the loss.

The third-place Dodgers (72-64) remained seven games behind the National League West Division-leading San Francisco Giants, who beat up on the Chicago Cubs, 13-2, earlier in the day. It was the Dodgers’ fifth consecutive home victory.

For the Phillies (56-78), it was their sixth consecutive one-run game, a stretch that has seen them go 2-4.

The game was as lethargic as the Dodgers had been feeling of late.

The Dodgers’ summerlong battle with a virus has taken its toll on, in order, second baseman Mark Grudzielanek, starting pitchers Chan Ho Park and Brown, left fielder Sheffield, who dropped 11 pounds and is 0 for 6 since returning to the lineup Friday night, catcher Todd Hundley and shortstop Alex Cora, who came out of Friday’s game feeling ill and did not play Saturday.

Even Manager Davey Johnson felt sick earlier this season, his irregular heart rhythm and sometimes uninspired play of his team unrelated.

“Brownie threw good,” Johnson said. “He just threw a little too many pitches for me, he was at 121.

“Our bullpen did a good job. I don’t know why we struggle against lefties this year.”

Goodwin, who joined the Dodgers in a July 31 trade with the Colorado Rockies, raised his batting average in a Dodger uniform 17 points, from .235 to .252.

“He seems to hit better if he stays aggressive instead of working for the walks,” Johnson said of Goodwin.

Said Goodwin: “Now it’s all about winning, no matter who does it. I’m not in it [solely] for the high moments. I’m just going to do whatever it takes to win--defensively, offensively, it doesn’t matter.”

Antonio Osuna relieved Brown to start the eighth and gave up a single to Bobby Abreu past a diving shortstop Branson. Abreu stole second base for his 20th steal of the year.

With the stolen base, Abreu, who also has 22 home runs, joined the 20-20 club for the second consecutive year, joining Hall of Fame third baseman Mike Schmidt as the only Phillies to make the 20-20 club in consecutive years. Schmidt accomplished it in 1974 and 1975.

Abreu was left stranded at second, however, when Osuna blew a 94-mph fastball past Scott Rolen for a third strike to end the inning.

In the bottom of the inning, the Dodgers’ failure to advance a runner cost them. Hundley led off with a single to right, but Branson blew a sacrifice bunt attempt by popping out to the catcher.

Pinch-hitter Jim Leyritz followed suit by popping out to first baseman Travis Lee.

Goodwin singled to right to put runners at the corners, but Grudzielanek grounded to short for an inning-ending fielder’s choice.

Branson came through in the 10th with a one-out double and scored on Goodwin’s single.